Embedded inkjet printed silver grids for ITO-free organic solar cells with high fill factor

• The optimisation of current collecting Ag grids made by inkjet printing is presented.
• Reverse nanoimprinting transfer is used to embed grid structures (embedding>90%).
• Enhanced topology of layers and reduced current leakage is obtained.
• This results in a significant increase in fill factor (FF>60%).
• Similar current collecting capability as ITO is achieved.

We combine inkjet printed silver grids and reverse nanoimprinting transfer to demonstrate front electrode structures embedded within the substrate for indium tin oxide (ITO) replacement in organic solar cells. The smooth interface between Ag grid and transparent semiconductor polymer PEDOT:PSS improves the topology of the successive layers. In turn, this results in overall good photovoltaic performance including high fill factor and no shunting. By modelling the shadowing and resistive losses as a function of the separation between grid lines, the optimal grid structure is identified, which we then confirm experimentally. Inkjet printed ITO-free solar cells showed slightly higher performance than the ITO based reference.

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